If you prefer the flavor of Android when you're mobile but like a Mac when it comes to laptops and desktops, then you'll want the two to work well together. The extent of using your Android phone with your Mac is pretty much file transfer.
Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command-line tool that lets you communicate with a device. The adb command facilitates a variety of device actions, such as installing and debugging apps, and it provides access to a Unix shell that you can use to run a variety of commands on a device.
You can download an app, which lets your Android talk to your Mac, or you can use some other options.
Here's how to use Android with Mac!
How to use Android File Transfer to transfer media from Android to Mac (and vice versa)
The beauty of Android is that transferring media (files, music, videos, etc.) is simple file storage; there's no painful syncing process like there is with iPhone.
Most hardcore Android users won't love this option, but I've had great luck with Android File Transfer.
- Download Android File Transfer.
- Unlock your Android device.
- Connect your Android device to your Mac via USB. This should launch Android File Transfer automatically. If not, just launch it manually.
- Tap Allow on your Android device when prompted.
- You may also be asked to choose the connection type. Choose to transfer media files or whatever variation of that phrase your Android device says.
- Open a Finder window on your Mac.
Drag and drop files from Finder to Android File Transfer. You can create folders in Android File Transfer that'll show up on your Android device.
If you have an SD card in your Android device, you can choose to drop files onto the SD card right in Android File Transfer. You can transfer files from your Android device to your Mac the exact same way — just drag from Android File Transfer to a Finder window or your desktop.
The thing about AFT is that it's quite hit and miss. Sometimes it simply won't recognize your Android. Always make sure you unlock your device before connecting to your Mac.
So continues the awkward dance between Android and Apple products. If your phone isn't recognized, just disconnect it from your Mac and connect it again.
Use Google Drive
Here's where an Android version of AirDrop would come in handy, but we unfortunately don't have that option. Your next best option for file transfer is to save stuff to Google Drive.
Your Google Drive goes with you wherever you have an internet connection, and you can download the files store there onto whichever device you're using. The best part is that you get 15GB of free storage and unlimited photo storage, so there's no need to use up space on your Mac hard drive or your Android device.
Here's how to save to Google Drive on your Mac:
- Launch a web browser. (You can also download the Google Drive app).
- Log in on Google.com.
- Click the apps button on the upper right of the window.
- Click Drive.
- Click New on the upper left of your screen.
- Click File upload. You can also choose to upload an entire folder.
Click Open or hit enter on your keyboard. Your file or folder will upload to Google Drive. It may take a few minutes, depending on how big your upload is.
Alternatively, you can just drag files or folders from a Finder window into the Google Drive window on your browser. In fact, Google Drive just becomes another folder on your Mac, so any time you want to make something available on your Android device, just drag it into the Google Drive folder. Simple as that.
Use another cloud-based service
In the end, connecting your Android device to your Mac via USB doesn't really get the job done. There are manufacturer tools, like Samsung Smart Switch and LG Bridge, but if you don't have a device from either of those manufacturers, then what do you do?
A cloud-based storage service is the easiest way to access files between your Android and your Mac. You can download the apps on your Android device and visit the corresponding websites on your Mac.
We recommend Dropbox, since it's easy to use and you get up to 2GB of cloud storage for free. Like Google Drive, Dropbox acts like just another folder on your Mac, so you can just drag files and folders over as you please and then access them via the Android Dropbox app.
Use an SD card
Many Android devices come equipped with microSD card slot, which allows you to expand their storage. If you have a regular SD adapter, you can just pop that into your Mac and transfer files to and from the card like you would normally when transferring photos from a camera.
Some Android devices have an 'adoptable storage' option, which lets you integrate the SD card as part of the phone's system memory. If you've opted for this, then you can't just remove your SD card at will, so be careful.
Can I do anything else with my Android and my Mac?
Not really, no. Since they're not a part of the same ecosystem, there isn't much else a Mac and Android can do together. That being said, if you don't mind the slight hurdle when it comes to file transfer, then there's no reason you shouldn't have an Android phone or tablet and a Mac together.
Questions?
Sound off in the comments below.
macOS Catalina
Main
Just don'tStealing from an Apple Store is so easy people are doing it time and again
Apple Stores are seen as an easy target by thieves, with at least one man in New York arrested twice for stealing from two stores in two years.
-->Before deploying your app to an app store, it's important to identifyand fix any performance bottlenecks, excessive memory usage issues, orinefficient use of network resources. Two profiler tools are availableto serve this purpose:
- Xamarin Profiler
- Android Profiler in Android Studio
This guide introduces the Xamarin Profiler and provides detailedinformation for getting started with using the Android Profiler.
Xamarin Profiler
The Xamarin Profiler is a standalone application that is integratedwith Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac for profiling Xamarin appsfrom within the IDE. For more information about using the XamarinProfiler, see Xamarin Profiler.
Note
You must be a Visual Studio Enterprisesubscriber to unlock the Xamarin Profiler feature in either Visual Studio Enterpriseon Windows or Visual Studio for Mac.
How to use Android File Transfer to transfer media from Android to Mac (and vice versa)
The beauty of Android is that transferring media (files, music, videos, etc.) is simple file storage; there's no painful syncing process like there is with iPhone.
Most hardcore Android users won't love this option, but I've had great luck with Android File Transfer.
- Download Android File Transfer.
- Unlock your Android device.
- Connect your Android device to your Mac via USB. This should launch Android File Transfer automatically. If not, just launch it manually.
- Tap Allow on your Android device when prompted.
- You may also be asked to choose the connection type. Choose to transfer media files or whatever variation of that phrase your Android device says.
- Open a Finder window on your Mac.
Drag and drop files from Finder to Android File Transfer. You can create folders in Android File Transfer that'll show up on your Android device.
If you have an SD card in your Android device, you can choose to drop files onto the SD card right in Android File Transfer. You can transfer files from your Android device to your Mac the exact same way — just drag from Android File Transfer to a Finder window or your desktop.
The thing about AFT is that it's quite hit and miss. Sometimes it simply won't recognize your Android. Always make sure you unlock your device before connecting to your Mac.
So continues the awkward dance between Android and Apple products. If your phone isn't recognized, just disconnect it from your Mac and connect it again.
Use Google Drive
Here's where an Android version of AirDrop would come in handy, but we unfortunately don't have that option. Your next best option for file transfer is to save stuff to Google Drive.
Your Google Drive goes with you wherever you have an internet connection, and you can download the files store there onto whichever device you're using. The best part is that you get 15GB of free storage and unlimited photo storage, so there's no need to use up space on your Mac hard drive or your Android device.
Here's how to save to Google Drive on your Mac:
- Launch a web browser. (You can also download the Google Drive app).
- Log in on Google.com.
- Click the apps button on the upper right of the window.
- Click Drive.
- Click New on the upper left of your screen.
- Click File upload. You can also choose to upload an entire folder.
Click Open or hit enter on your keyboard. Your file or folder will upload to Google Drive. It may take a few minutes, depending on how big your upload is.
Alternatively, you can just drag files or folders from a Finder window into the Google Drive window on your browser. In fact, Google Drive just becomes another folder on your Mac, so any time you want to make something available on your Android device, just drag it into the Google Drive folder. Simple as that.
Use another cloud-based service
In the end, connecting your Android device to your Mac via USB doesn't really get the job done. There are manufacturer tools, like Samsung Smart Switch and LG Bridge, but if you don't have a device from either of those manufacturers, then what do you do?
A cloud-based storage service is the easiest way to access files between your Android and your Mac. You can download the apps on your Android device and visit the corresponding websites on your Mac.
We recommend Dropbox, since it's easy to use and you get up to 2GB of cloud storage for free. Like Google Drive, Dropbox acts like just another folder on your Mac, so you can just drag files and folders over as you please and then access them via the Android Dropbox app.
Use an SD card
Many Android devices come equipped with microSD card slot, which allows you to expand their storage. If you have a regular SD adapter, you can just pop that into your Mac and transfer files to and from the card like you would normally when transferring photos from a camera.
Some Android devices have an 'adoptable storage' option, which lets you integrate the SD card as part of the phone's system memory. If you've opted for this, then you can't just remove your SD card at will, so be careful.
Can I do anything else with my Android and my Mac?
Not really, no. Since they're not a part of the same ecosystem, there isn't much else a Mac and Android can do together. That being said, if you don't mind the slight hurdle when it comes to file transfer, then there's no reason you shouldn't have an Android phone or tablet and a Mac together.
Questions?
Sound off in the comments below.
macOS Catalina
Main
Just don'tStealing from an Apple Store is so easy people are doing it time and again
Apple Stores are seen as an easy target by thieves, with at least one man in New York arrested twice for stealing from two stores in two years.
-->Before deploying your app to an app store, it's important to identifyand fix any performance bottlenecks, excessive memory usage issues, orinefficient use of network resources. Two profiler tools are availableto serve this purpose:
- Xamarin Profiler
- Android Profiler in Android Studio
This guide introduces the Xamarin Profiler and provides detailedinformation for getting started with using the Android Profiler.
Xamarin Profiler
The Xamarin Profiler is a standalone application that is integratedwith Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac for profiling Xamarin appsfrom within the IDE. For more information about using the XamarinProfiler, see Xamarin Profiler.
Note
You must be a Visual Studio Enterprisesubscriber to unlock the Xamarin Profiler feature in either Visual Studio Enterpriseon Windows or Visual Studio for Mac.
Android Studio Profiler
Android Studio 3.0 and later includes an Android Profiler tool. You canuse the Android Profiler to measure the performance of a Xamarin Androidapp built with Visual Studio – without the need for a VisualStudio Enterprise license. However, unlike the Xamarin Profiler, theAndroid Profiler is not integrated with Visual Studio and can only beused to profile an Android application package (APK) that has been builtin advance and imported into the Android Profiler.
Launching a Xamarin Android app in Android Profiler
The following steps explain how to launch an Xamarin Androidapplication in Android Studio's Android Profiler tool. In the examplescreenshots below, the Xamarin FormsXamagonXuzzleapp is built and profiled using Android Profiler:
Run Android Apps On Mac
In the Android project build options, disable Use SharedRuntime. This ensures that the Android application package (APK)is built without a dependency on the shared development-time Monoruntime.
Build the app for Debug and deploy it to a physical device oremulator. This causes a signed Debug version of the APK to be built.For the XamagonXuzzle example, the resulting APK is namedcom.companyname.XamagonXuzzle-Signed.apk.
Open the project folder and navigate to bin/Debug. In thisfolder, locate the Signed.apk version of the app and copy itto a conveniently-accessible place (such as the desktop). In the followingscreenshot, the APK com.companyname.XamagonXuzzle-Signed.apk is locatedand copied to the desktop:
Launch Android Studio and select Profile or debug APK:
In the Select APK File dialog, navigate to the APK that youbuilt and copied earlier. Select the APK and click OK:
Android Studio will load the APK and dissassembles classes.dex:
After the APK is loaded, Android Studio displays the followingproject screen for the APK. Right-click the app name in the treeview on the left and select Open Module Settings:
Navigate to Project Settings > Modules, select the -Signed nodeof the app, then click :
In the Module SDK pull-down menu, select the Android SDK levelthat was used to build the app (in this example, API level 26 wasused to build XamagonXuzzle):
Click Apply and OK to save this setting.
Launch the profiler from the toolbar icon:
Select the deployment target for running/profiling the app andclick OK. The deployment target can be a physical device or a virtual devicerunning in an emulator. In this example, a Nexus 5X device is used:
After the profiler starts, it will take a few seconds for it toconnect to the deployment device and the app process. While it isinstalling the APK, Android Profiler will report No connecteddevices and No debuggable processes.
After several seconds, Android Profiler will complete APKinstallation and launch the APK, reporting the device name and thename of the app process being profiled (in this example, LGENexus 5X and com.companyname.XamagonXuzzle, respectively):
After the device and debuggable process are identified, AndroidProfiler begins profiling the app:
If you tap the RANDOMIZE button on XamagonXuzzle (whichcauses it to shift and randomize tiles), you will see the CPU usageincrease during the app's randomization interval:
Using the Android Profiler
Android App For Mac No Connected Devices
Digitech rp50 manual download. Detailed information for using the Android Profiler is included inthe Android Studio documentation.The following topics will be of interest to Xamarin Android developers:
Connect Android Phone To Mac
CPU Profiler– Explains how to inspect the app's CPU usage and thread activity in real-time.
Memory Profiler– Displays a real-time graph of the app's memory usage, andincludes a button to record memory allocations for analysis.
Network Profiler– Displays real-time network activity of data sent andreceived by the app.
